Morrissey Matches Wits With Comedian Russell Brand

In the song "That's How People Grow Up," from both his recent Greatest Hits and his forthcoming album Years of Refusal, Morrissey puts the whole love-and-loss thing into perspective: "I was driving my car/ I crashed and broke my spine/ So yes, there are things worse in life than never being someone's sweetie." Of course that kind of clear thinking isn't going to stop him from pining for love he can't have on the rest of the album, which is due February 16 on Polydor in the UK and the following day on Lost Highway in the U.S.

The lines also show off Moz's acid wit-- in fine form on Refusal, btw-- and fans can now look forward to even more knowing Morrissey-related chuckles in the near future. The deluxe edition of Refusal will come packaged with a DVD featuring the singer chatting with nutso British comedian (and Moz super fan) Russell Brand in a 20-minute segment appropriately dubbed "Wrestle with Russell". (Watch a snippet here.) This isn't the first time the two friends have recorded their conversations-- Brand interviewed Morrissey last April on BBC radio. And Brand was reportedly set to star in the video for "That's How People Grow Up", though the video has yet to surface. (There is this one from a year ago, however.)

In other Morrissey news, Latino fans may see more Morrissey ads than usual in the coming months thanks to a partnership between Moz's U.S. label Lost Highway and the Latin label Nacional. The marketing foreign exchange program will see Lost Highway putting some muscle behind La Radiolina, the latest from Nacional artist Manu Chao, while Nacional will help market Years of Refusal. With the economy at large joining the music industry's free fall, expect to see more level-headed, mutually beneficial partnerships like this in the future.

Years of Refusal Deluxe Edition DVD:

01 Wrestle With Russell02 That's How People Grow Up ("Friday Night With Jonathan Ross")03 All You Need Is Me ("Later with Jools Holland")04 All You Need Is Me (music video)